Western style Communism is an ideology, a religion, and understandable as such. Asian communism is not an ideology, but a route to power and a means to maintain power, and therefore understandable in terms familiar to all for all of history. There is no point in using the term Communist China, because it does not describe their interests and policy, which are indistinguishable from the interests and policy of a Westphalian State. The Soviets were intent on bringing the entire world under the Church of Socialism, with Moscow the Vatican. China has no such ambitions, and therefore can be persuaded to act in ways the Soviets would never have contemplated. To China, Pyongyang is a client, not a parishioner, and as such the Trump administration has a good chance of persuading China to burn Pyongyang.

The difference in the burning is as clear as night and day
The Soviets would burn you but in an auto-da fe
The Chinese on the other hand will smile and say goodbye
As into the big wok you go, an unwilling stir fry
To China the Kim family has been like Kardashian girls
There comes a time to dump them when the controversy swirls
For big guys soon lose patience with the antics and the swoons
When Kim girls get inflated and they speak of ancient runes
That say that they’re queens of heaven and the rulers of the blind
And they have nukes to prove it and will show to the unkind
That quaking, screams and shaking are sweet music to their ears
At which point the Twitter chatters as the big guy’s ire rears
And the Chinese see the bitter dregs at bottom of the cup
And the dancing stops in Pyongyang as they see the jig is up
As the Chinese pile the faggots into mountains to their knees
And the Ronsons and the Bics now made in China light with ease